Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe | Made Easy in the Slow Cooker

Pulled Pork Sliders are a budget-friendly party food option that’s tough to beat. Everybody loves them, they feed a crowd, and they’re over-the-top easy to make. This Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe features pulled pork made easy in the slow cooker, it’s full of flavor and always turns out perfectly fork-tender. You’ll find the sliders easy to assemble and simple to serve.

In addition to an easy Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe, we’ll cover all slider basics like how many sliders per person, how to serve your sliders (and prevent them from getting soggy), plus, make-ahead options and even what to serve with them.

A BBQ-SYLE PULLED PULLED PORK SLIDER RECIPE

Pulled Pork Sliders are essentially little, miniature pulled pork sandwiches and they are absolutely perfect for entertaining. They’re inexpensive, they feed a crowd, and they’re seriously easy to make. This Pulled Pork Slider Recipe, in particular, features BBQ-style sandwiches and probably the most popular way to serve up a slider.

PULLED PORK SLIDER INGREDIENTS

Slider Buns

Pork Butt

BBQ Sauce

Coleslaw

Pickles

BBQ Sauce

THE SLIDER BUN

Slider buns have become very popular and are readily available. They can be found at just about any major grocery store in a variety of selections.

HOW MANY SLIDERS PER PERSON

Sliders typically come in a pack of 12, and you can expect one package of sliders to feed 4-5 people. You can estimate 2-3 sliders per person, but if there is lots of other food at the party to graze on, you’re most likely looking at 2 sliders per person.

THE PULLED PORK

Sliders were meant for entertaining, and when it comes to entertaining, easiest is best. So, unless you’ve got a barbecue aficionado on your hands, the slow cooker is your best friend when it comes to pulled pork. Pulled pork comes from a cut of meat called a pork butt, which is actually the shoulder of the pig….not the butt. When cooked low and slow, pork butt breaks down and becomes fork tender.

This pulled pork slider recipe was designed for minimum input and maximum output, and after about 5 minutes of prep work and a stint in the slow cooker, your pork butt will be loaded with flavor, totally juicy and fall-apart tender.

PULLED PORK SLIDER TOPPINGS

The toppings for your BBQ-style Pulled Pork Sandwiches are simple and minimal. All you need is a package of coleslaw mix (often found near the lettuce in the produce aisle), a jar of hamburger sliced pickles, and some BBQ Sauce.

For the BBQ Sauce, you can use store-bought or homemade. If you like a sticky-sweet BBQ Sauce with just a hint of tang and smoky undertones, you might want to give this Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce a try!

HOW TO MAKE PULLED PORK SLIDERS

Remove excess fat from pork butt.

Stir together ingredients for braising sauce.

Add sauce and pork butt to slow cooker, cook, and shred.

Assemble sandwiches and serve.

1. REMOVING THE FAT CAP

When you cook BBQ pulled pork in the slow cooker, fat has a tendency just hang around. There’s plenty of fat within the pork shoulder, and you don’t need any extra. Use a sharp knife, and shave the fat cap (i.e. the layer of fat on top of a cut of meat) right off.

2. THE BRAISING SAUCE

This braising sauce is a highly concentrated BBQ-flavored sauce. When pork butt breaks down, it releases quite a bit of liquid, so you don’t need very much liquid going in. The sauce consists mostly of ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and spices.

The consistency of this sauce might lend itself more to a rub, and the flavor will be intense, but remember — we’re flavoring up to 4 pounds of pork, and not just the outside of it. We want there to be flavor in every single bite, and with this recipe, there most definitely will be.

3. COOKING THE PORK BUTT

Now comes the really easy part. The pork butt, along with the sauce, goes into the slow cooker and cooks on low for 8 hours (or on high for 6 hours). When the time is up, the pork will fall apart and you’ll be able to easily shred it with nothing but forks in hand.

4. ASSEMBLE THE SLIDERS

Sliders are easy to assemble: Add the pork to the slider bun, fix it up with toppings and you’re set to serve.

HOW TO SERVE PULLED PORK SLIDERS

When it comes to serving Pulled Pork Sliders, you have options and one of those options is not to assemble the sliders at all. If I had my pick, this one is it…and not out of laziness. You see, pulled pork is extremely moist, which means it has a fair amount of liquid. Liquid + Bread = Soggy Bread. I, for one, am not a fan of soggy bread.

MAKE A SELF-SERVE ASSEMBLY STATION!

Rather than making a ton of pulled pork sandwiches yourself, consider allowing your guests to build their own sliders! Set up shop near the slow cooker. Wherever you intend for your set up to be, make sure people have room to set down their plates and move from one ingredient to the next.

Place a pair of tongs near the pulled pork with something to catch the drippings beneath.

Find a large shallow bowl and line it with a decorative dish towel or napkin (if you’d like) and place the sliders buns inside. You could also use a serving platter for the slider, or just leave them in their original packaging.

Place the coleslaw in a bowl with small tongs or a serving spoon, and equip the pickles with small tongs or a fork. You can leave them in the jar, or transfer them to a bowl, if desired.

Make sure the BBQ sauce is easy to drizzle. If not, consider transferring it to a gravy boat or bowl, and equipping it with a small spoon or ladle.

MAKE-AHEAD SLIDERS

While I don’t recommend making pulled pork sliders too far in advance (read above) there are measures you can take to keep your sliders tasting fresh. Before assembling the sliders as directed, smear the insides of each bun with either mayonnaise or room temperature, unsalted butter.

This only works for so long (as, again, the moisture content in pulled pork is very high) but you are essentially forming a temporary barrier between the slider bun and the juices from the pork.

HOW TO KEEP PULLED PORK SLIDERS WARM

Once you’ve assembled your sliders, secure them with a toothpick and transfer them to any large rimmed dish (i.e. a rimmed baking sheet, casserole dish, etc…), cover loosely with foil, and place them in the oven on warm or at 200°. Do not stack the sliders or cover them tightly with foil. This will cause them to steam.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PULLED PORK SLIDERS

Sliders are party food, meaning they can be accompanied by just about anything you’d like including dips, veggie trays, meat and cheese platters, etc… But, if you’re looking to make a complete meal out of your sliders, consider serving them with any of the following items:

The last time I made this pulled pork slider recipe was actually during a demo on set at a local TV station. I featured the sliders on an Anthony Kitchen tailgating special, and afterward, the entire staff came to eat and enjoy all of our game day goodies.

I assembled the sliders to order as staff came through the line, and by the time they started rolling through the line for seconds, the praises began. I have no doubt, the same will happen in your very own kitchen!

They’re flavorful, perfect for feeding a crowd, and best of all, easy to make. Please, enjoy!

Add about half of the sauce to the bottom of the crock pot and set the pork butt inside. Pour the remaining sauce over the pork butt, and turn on the slow cooker.

Cook for 6 hours on the high setting or 8 hours on the low setting. Shred with two forks and stir the pulled pork so that it is coated in the sauce.

For the Sliders:

To assemble the sliders, spread the inside of each bun with a thin layer of mayonnaise (if using). Add a scant 1/2 cup of pulled pork to the bottom bun, top with a pinch of coleslaw, a couple of pickles, a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Finally, cap with the top bun. Repeat for the remaining sliders.

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Hi! I’m Kelly Anthony, a food columnist, baker, home chef and stay-at-home mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. I hope you, your family and guests will cherish them as much as I do. Thank you for stopping by, and please, come back again. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

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